Rogozin: The launch of Akademik Lomonosov floating nuclear power plant and Pevek infrastructure should be synchronised

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said the launch of the Akademik Lomonosov floating nuclear power plant and the coastal infrastructure in Pevek should be synchronised, RIA Novosti reports.

"The work on the floating nuclear power plant, due to be sited in Pevek, is nearing completion. In July 2015, members of the State Commission's presidium raised the issue of finding funding for the construction of the facility's coastal infrastructure. This floating plant is like a plug that needs to come into contact with a coastal ‘outlet.' If we don't build this infrastructure for the power plant on time, it will remain a piece of floating hardware. Therefore, we should synchronize the launch of the coastal infrastructure and the floating power plant to the greatest possible extent," Rogozin said at a meeting of the presidium of the State Commission for Arctic Development and Government’s Marine Board.

Rogozin noted that coastal facilities are scheduled for completion in 2019 and there are plans to deliver and launch the floating nuclear power plant that same year, RIA Novosti reports.

"The deadlines are timed to coincide with the decommissioning of the Bilibino power plant, and we should waste no time," he said.

The Project 20870 Akademik Lomonosov floating nuclear power plant, the first in the series, is to generate electricity for the city of Pevek in the Chukotka Autonomous Area. It is to replace the local Bilibino nuclear power plant and the Chaunskaya thermal power plant, due to be decommissioned in 2019.